Docks strike not an anniversary walkout

The Maritime Union of Australia has defended its decision to launch industrial action at Melbourne’s Webb Dock. The MUA attributes the four-day strike to Qube’s refusal to reinstate a 2014 roster whereby employees worked for seven weeks and had one week off. Qube argues that this roster is uneconomic, and it wants the Fair Work Commission to terminates an existing enterprise agreement. The MUA has rejected suggestions that the strike is timed to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the 1998 waterfront dispute.